Writing and Publishing News

It happened again today. As the President of SPAWN (Small Publishers, Artists and Writers Network), I received another scattershot email from a no-name writer. The fellow (or gal) probably sent this email to hundreds of recipients with hopes of landing a publisher for his “unique” book. He said his book is “a best seller awaiting a publisher.” He did not reveal his identity, and he even made up an email address to use in flushing out a publisher—one generic email address for sending the “SPAM” and one for a response: writer-seeking-publisher@etc….

Me being me, I responded, but with a scolding, of sorts, and some solid advice about approaching publishers. I’m probably the only person he will hear from.

I receive a few of these emails through SPAWN and through my own website practically every month. It would be interesting to follow some of these people through the process and see how far they got—what degree of success they eventually experience using the scattershot method.

For those of you who are considering writing a generic, anonymous query and tossing it into the breeze in hopes of attracting a publisher, please reconsider. Here’s a more reasonable approach to publishing success:

1: If the manuscript is completed, make sure it has been professionally edited. This means, have it edited by someone who is familiar with publishing and your genre/topic.

2: Whether your book is fiction or nonfiction, write a book proposal. (Learn more about both fiction and nonfiction book proposals in The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book http://www.matilijapress.com/rightway.html )

3: Write a killer query letter. If you’re not sure how to do this, study The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book. Before sending it off, consult with me or another professional. (Watch for an upcoming blog focusing on how to write a query letter.)

4: Research appropriate publishers. This means, publishers that would most likely be interested in investing in your particular project. Many publishers, today, specialize. Make sure that you are sending the right project to the right publisher. How? Look at their book catalogs. Study their Submission Guidelines. Locate books similar to yours and see who is publishing them? There are no books similar to yours, you say? Then maybe yours is not a good idea.

Okay, now that you’re seeing more clearly, go to where your book might be shelved in the nearest mega-bookstore. Look at the other books sitting there. Who published them? Consider contacting those publishers.

5: Send the publisher exactly what he wants (per his/her Submission Guidelines). This might be a query letter first or a full-blown book proposal (for nonfiction). He might want a query letter with your platform and marketing plan outlined and 50 pages of your novel. Some publishers accept material via email. Others do not. Most, who require snail mail contact, insist upon receiving a self-addressed-stamped envelope (SASE) for their response.

6: Address the correct person by name. Find out who the acquisitions editor is, or the managing editor or the editor for the topic/genre of your book. If you’re not sure who to address or the information you have is old, call the company and ask the receptionist to whom you should direct your query or proposal for a young adult fantasy or a book on health and healing.

At the risk of repeating myself, publishing is a business. It is not an extension of your writing. Do not attempt to enter into this highly competitive field using the anonymous, scattershot method that so many hopeful authors seem to believe is acceptable. For a greater chance at publishing success, lead with a viable project and use a reasonable, more personal approach.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 11th, 2008 at 7:20 am and is filed under Publishing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.